A known way to combine containers into a group of containers to produce firm and/or transportable storage and transport units or packaging units involves the use of shrink films, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,464. One of the disadvantages of this is that the films used, and in particular the shrinking-on of the films by the application of heat or energy, causes considerable expense.
Another way to form such packs is to strap containers together, as described in DE 10200902824, DE 102009044271, and DE 4126212). This is a particularly inexpensive and simple way of producing packaging units or transport and storage units. The strapping can also be bonded with the containers.
One disadvantage of strapping, however, is that when one container is removed from such a pack, the strapping no longer holds the containers remaining in the pack together. This is the case not only when the strapping is removed or cut, but also when it is possible to take a container from the pack without severing the strapping.
Moreover transporting such packaging units on a belt conveyor typically presents the danger that cylindrical or chiefly cylindrical articles, such as cans, bottles or containers, assume a nesting position, i.e. slip into a gap in the adjacent row, due to vibration, impacts etc. With known packaging units, a very high tension must be applied to the strapping in order to avoid this.
DE 102006037105 describes a method for combining of bottle packets in which a rotary star wheel that presses bottle necks into clips on flat carriers is provided on both sides of a track. The bottle packet is also wrapped with a tape or an envelope.
According to DE 2331193, an adhesive is applied to containers in narrow surfaces or rows, with contiguous surfaces that are not provided with adhesive being intended to facilitate a gripping of the packing for carrying purposes. The containers stick to one another at the adhesive points. EP 2096039 also relates to containers being provided with an adhesive, with a shrink film also being disposed around the bottle packet however.